TAMPA, Florida — Billy Mays, the burly, bearded television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50.

Tampa police said Mays was found unresponsive by his wife Sunday morning. A fire rescue crew pronounced him dead at 7:45 a.m.

This one is right out of the blue. Police are investigating, though there is no sign of a foul play.

I have to say, I’m a bit taken aback by this. I’m not a fan of reality shows, but I enjoyed watching Pitch Men, mostly because there was a lot about Mays’ outgoing personality and business sense I really liked. I can’t say that I know much else about him except that he was one hell of a salesman. I’ve bought a couple or three things he’s pitched over the years and none of it was garbage, which made him an honest salesman, too. He could have made even more money hawking absolute trash, but that didn’t seem to be his way. I have to admire that.

My condolences to his family and friends. This had to have taken them by surprise.